an opinionated sports blog

October 21, 2009

It’s not everyday that you see an upset of this calibre. Hell, many people would probably think that Rubin Kazan is a person — perhaps some eastern european pop-star or Yugoslavian Idol winner. But no, today, they are a feisty soccer team that defeated reigning Champions League winners Barcelona. And they did it in Barcelona’s own stadium too.

So just who are Rubin Kazan? Well, they’re the current Russian Premier League champions and is based out of the city of Kazan in midwestern Russia. This is the first time they’ve played in the Champions League and this upset was, incredibly, their first ever win in the European competition. What a way to pop your cherry Kazan.

Really though, Barca played a sloppy game and, especially on the game-winner, looked lackadaisical at the back end. Kazan played with a lot of hustle, but Barca had the ball for 75% of the game and should have done better with it. This tilt seems like a classic case of a team looking past a supposed inferior opponent.

So, remember this score and then point to it when people tell you that something’s impossible. Anything can happen when you least expect it…